Chapter 81: North to South He was afraid that if he used a little force, she would break...
Luo Wan sat on the edge of the bed, looking away from the pile of mandala wind chimes, and looked out through the open window at the night sky outside. A bright moon hung in the sky, and the stars were shining brightly.
Perhaps only she herself knew that she was not as indifferent as she appeared, nor was she tired of listening.
She was full of calculations and plots, and the only things that kept her going till now were revenge and childhood kindness.
Perhaps one day, when these two matters were finally settled, she would be left alone to pursue a new life. But that life should never be one forever trapped in this treacherous quagmire of political intrigue, like Xu Lian'er, like the Crown Princess, a chess piece on the chessboard with no control over its fate.
So she took down all the mandala wind chimes in the yard.
Xiao Ce's words will definitely be conveyed to Jiang Cichen through Xie Yan's mouth.
Jiang Cichen will understand when he sees it.
At midnight, thin clouds passed by and the moon disappeared.
Unable to enjoy the moon, Luo Wan got up to close the window, but saw a young man standing in the dark night. He didn't know how long he had been standing there.
The young man was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he stood tall and straight. He wore a dark, patterned collar and cross-sleeves, and despite his cold demeanor, he looked exceptionally handsome.
The two of them looked at each other quietly from a distance. He said nothing, just stood there.
She didn’t know if it was Luo Wan’s illusion, but she always felt that there was a hint of resentment in Jiang Cichen’s eyes.
Luo Wan closed the window, opened the door and walked out. He really didn't move a step, but just followed her with his eyes, standing there waiting for her to come closer.
Luo Wan came in front of him, and before she could speak, she heard him ask, "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Thank you for rescuing me from the teahouse." Luo Wan said.
Jiang Cichen lowered his eyes and looked at her: "You know that's not what I'm talking about."
Luo Wan said calmly: "Isn't it already very clear?"
"I don't know." He said stubbornly.
Luo Wan looked up, the young man's face reflected in her dark eyes. She teased, "You don't want me to marry you, do you?"
Jiang Cichen was silent.
Luo Wan said it so bluntly because she knew he wouldn't.
If Jiang Cichen was really such a person, then on the day of selecting the portrait, after she made such a ridiculous suggestion, his reaction should not have been to let go of her and go back into the house alone.
Perhaps because he has lived a life of luxury since childhood, Jiang Cichen has extremely high demands on everything around him, including feelings.
Such a proud person cannot accept any impurity in a relationship.
Sincerity is precious. Luo Wan didn't want to trample on someone's sincerity, and she couldn't bear his blazing sincerity. She was too stingy and couldn't return the same sincerity to Jiang Cichen.
Luo Wan said: "Jiang Cichen, I think what Xiao Ce said is very reasonable, 'The world is full of beauties like crucian carp crossing the river'. Maybe it's true that you have seen too few women. When the war subsides and the world is unified, you will have many..."
"We'll set out the day after tomorrow." Jiang Cichen interrupted her.
What was he thinking before he came? What was he thinking when he saw the empty eaves, without the strings of mandala wind chimes twirling in the wind?
Jiang Cichen is not a soft-hearted person. Most of the time, he only cares about his own feelings and acts only from the perspective of what is beneficial to himself. He will not give up until he gets what he wants.
But at this moment he had to admit that after seeing Luo Wan's pale face, he softened his heart and he could no longer interrogate her like before.
He was afraid that if he used a little force, she would break.
"Your internal strength has not yet recovered. Until then, Xie Yan will protect you. Split the troops into two groups. You and Xie Yan will go to Yinan City. As the Yinan army reinforces Weizhou, Chen Nanyuan and I will march north."
Luo Wan nodded. Even if Jiang Cichen didn't say so, she would most likely choose to break up with him.
The Queen and Xiao Ce were right. She couldn't respond to Jiang Cichen, so she might as well be decisive.
"Have a good rest." Jiang Cichen turned and left.
*
The split of the troops into two groups was the imperial decree. A few years ago, Xie Yan and Jiang Cichen had fought together and were renowned in the army.
The old ministers of Yunjing who have been immersed in power politics for many years cannot fail to understand the principle that three people make a tiger. Even if Emperor Yun does not care, these old foxes will never allow such a force to go unchecked.
Xie Yan didn't care much about this. Although the people of Xiliang were brave and brutal, they were straightforward and straightforward, making them easier to deal with than the scheming people of the Northern Kingdom.
When the battle is about to reach the capital, he will ask for orders to redeploy troops, and he will not be afraid of not being able to kill Beiye Ji and Kun Yi.
In the study, Jiang Cichen handed him the map of Xiliang.
Xie Yan took the map and glanced at it briefly. The journey back to Yinan City was long, so he would have time to study it carefully on the way.
Xie Yan rolled up the map and said, "Okay, I'll have Chen Nanyuan pack up and get ready to leave with me tomorrow."
"Chen Nanyuan comes with me." Jiang Cichen looked at the military book in his hand with a calm tone.
Xie Yan complained, "You're not my brother, but you won't leave me anybody? There are three of you and I'm all alone. Can you be nice to me?"
Jiang Cichen said: "Luo Wan is with you."
Xie Yan was stunned and touched his nose: "You don't have to be so nice..."
Jiang Cichen looked up at him.
Xie Yan also looked at him, his eyes full of curiosity and inquiry: "Are you really willing to let go? You didn't listen to Xiao Ce's words and really plan to let it go?"
Jiang Cichen said, "Her internal energy hasn't recovered yet, so it's better not to let her face the Northern Kingdom group. Xiliang has always had a better chance of winning."
He said something against his will. In fact, Jiang Cichen knew that if he didn't do this, Luo Wan would definitely return to Tingyu Tower.
In the capital, when he learned that she had returned to Tingyu Tower with Beiye Si, he had already regretted it. It was impossible for him to do something that would make him regret again and let her return to Tingyu Tower at this time.
This is the only compromise now, at least he can still get news about her.
Xie Yan suddenly smiled: "Do you remember the first time you mentioned her to me?"
"What's it like?" Jiang Cichen asked.
Xie Yan recalled, "You said you would capture her and let me see her true face."
Jiang Cichen's face showed no change, and he said calmly, "Really?"
"Of course." Xie Yan raised an eyebrow. "And I remember that you targeted her every day and did bad things for her. She finally found a witness in the brothel, but you snatched the witness away and put him in jail. You relied on your power at the time to do quite a few immoral things."
Jiang Cichen said, "She was an assassin. What was wrong with me being on guard against her?"
Xie Yan asked back, "Isn't she an assassin now? Not only is she an assassin, she's also the assassin leader."
"She put the sword on Shen Zhiyan's neck at the time, so naturally I had to target her." Jiang Cichen said, "She's not hurting anyone now."
Xie Yan also said, "She had her sword at Shen Zhiyan's neck at the time. Do you really think she would ally with you to save Shen Zhiyan? Have we forgotten someone?"
Jiang Cichen's eyes darkened: "You mean Bei Ye Si?"
When talking about the capital and assassins, apart from Shen Zhiyan, the only person that comes to mind is Bei Ye Si.
With the Northern Kingdom's prince by her side, she chose to go far away to form an alliance with Jiang Cichen. This is really unbelievable.
Xie Yan nodded and said, "Since they left Yunjing, Yanyun Pavilion has not had any news about Beiye Si. After the previous emperor passed away and Beiye Ji ascended the throne, he did not show up again. Don't you find it suspicious?"
Bei Ye Si, as the prince of the Northern Kingdom, did not show up even when his father passed away.
Jiang Cichen said, "Kunyi once said that Liu Zong had already secretly petitioned the late emperor, stating that Beiye Si was the best candidate for the crown prince. However, judging by the final result, Beiye Si had no intention of usurping the throne, otherwise he would not have appeared."
After the Jiang family was executed, Jiang Cichen left the capital. The ups and downs of the imperial court no longer had anything to do with him. Naturally, he would not care about the other princes and whether they would compete with Bei Yeji for the throne.
Today, Luo Wan has become the owner of the building, but Beiye Si has disappeared and his whereabouts remain a mystery.
During the siege of Wutan Town, anyone with eyes could see that Beiye Si had extraordinary feelings for Luo Wan. Similarly, on Shen Zhiyan's wedding day, Beiye Si only appeared briefly, and Luo Wan lost her composure and chased after him.
A barely perceptible hint of displeasure flashed across Jiang Cichen's eyes, and that was the reason why he angrily questioned her for the first time.
He and Beiye Ji had no friendship. One grew up in a military camp and the other was a prince recuperating in the deep palace. It seemed that they would not have any intersection.
Later, Jiang Cichen returned to the court after the expedition and met the assassin who was chasing Shen Zhiyan in Wutan Town. The assassin's shadow turned out to be Beiye Si. Only then did he discover that he was very different from the rumored Ninth Prince, and his talent, status, and appearance were all outstanding.
Yes, this is the fundamental reason why he is unwilling to link Beiye Si and Luo Wan together.
He was afraid.
But he would not ask about Luo Wan's past. There were some things she could keep secret forever if she didn't want to, and he didn't want to know. He didn't care about her past.
Xie Yan asked, "Have you never doubted her purpose?"
Jiang Cichen knew what Xie Yan was hinting at. No matter how he looked at it, Beiye Si was closer to Luo Wan. After all, they had been through thick and thin together for years, and yet she had suddenly come to his side and formed an alliance with him. Xie Yan's suspicion was exactly what Chen Nanyuan had always suspected: was Luo Wan an undercover agent?
Jiang Cichen dropped the military manual in his hand, leaned lazily against the back of his chair, and a hint of sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "If the dignified master of Tingyu Tower had to go undercover, then Tingyu Tower would have ceased to exist long ago."
"I'm just talking casually," Xie Yan weighed the map and said with a smile, "Let's go."
*
On the day Jiang Cichen set out on the expedition, the sky was gray and the army was solemn.
Luo Wan stood at the gate of the mansion and saw him sitting upright on a horse, wearing black armor, with his black hair tied up high, passing by General Lingyun's mansion.
With trumpets blaring and flags fluttering, the army moved slowly northward like a white torrent.
Xie Yan's voice rang out from behind: "Miss Luo, it's time for us to leave."
Luo Wan turned around and happened to see the servant who was transferred back to sweep the front yard. Their eyes met for a moment and the servant immediately lowered his head.
The journey south is not peaceful.
It was the time of war, with bandits, defeated soldiers, and spies from all sides appearing one after another along the way. Luo Wan's internal strength had not yet recovered, and most of the time he had to rely on Xie Yan for action, while she calmly observed from the side, occasionally breaking the deadlock with cleverness or words.
She and Xie Yan didn't talk much along the way, and maintained a polite yet distant tacit understanding with each other.
Luo Wan could sense that sometimes when they camped late at night, Xie Yan would stand guard with a sword in his arms, and his eyes would occasionally glance at her with a hint of scrutiny.
On this day, Luo Wan wrote a letter to Tingyu Tower, asking Qingyun about the method of recovering internal strength. She raised her hand and sent the pigeon out.
Seeing the white dove flapping its wings and disappearing into the clouds, Xie Yan, who had been watching silently, finally couldn't help but speak: "You Tingyu Tower also use pigeons to transmit information?"
Luo Wan was puzzled: "What else? Don't you use pigeons in Yanyun Pavilion?"
"Of course I do." Xie Yan's tone was somewhat tentative. "I just find it strange that since you, the owner of the building, were injured, no one has come to visit you. Where is your former shadow?"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Xie Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he, as a brother, had done his duty very diligently. Jiang Cichen couldn't ask, but he asked about it. This action of his could be said to be the utmost kindness.
When Luo Wan heard people mention him again, his heart was really calm. Time is indeed a good healer.
Luo Wan said truthfully: "Bei Ye Si has returned to Miaojiang."
Xie Yan pondered for a moment. He had heard rumors about Bei Ye Si's mother in his early years. Consort Lan, the beloved concubine of the late Northern Emperor, a saintly maiden from the Miao borderland, renowned throughout the land as the most beautiful woman. It was a pity that she was so young and died young, so he never had the pleasure of meeting her.
Seeing him deep in thought, Luo Wan suddenly asked, "You don't think I'm an undercover sent by Bei Ye Si?"
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